Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi meets with US President Donald Trump in Washington today, and must strike a balance between improving trade ties and easing tensions over the Iran war.
The pair had a bonhomie-filled meeting last fall, but Takaichi has since refused to send Japanese ships to help unblock the Strait of Hormuz — Japan’s minesweeping vessels are among the best in the world — despite Trump’s requests.
Japan is dependent on US trade, but wants an end to the conflict in Iran to bring down energy costs, a Council on Foreign Relations analyst noted: Takaichi must walk a tightrope between “[conveying] her country’s desire for peace while demonstrating to a skeptical President Trump the value of the US-Japan alliance.”